How to Become a Mammographer

If you’re thinking about becoming a mammography technologist, you have great potential to help save lives. One study found that since 1989, mammography combined with improved treatment have lowered the expected mortality rate of breast cancer by 45.3% to 58.3% (as of 2018). This equates to more than half a million breast cancer deaths averted in the U.S. over the last three decades.

Mammographers, or radiologic technologists who specialize in mammography, perform X-ray imaging procedures of the breast to detect breast conditions, including early signs of breast cancer. As a mammographer, you’ll not only have the important role of helping patients obtain diagnostic information that could potentially save or prolong their lives, but you can also provide them with support at a potentially stressful time.

To become a mammographer, you will need to meet certain educational, clinical, licensing, and certification requirements. In this career guide, we share the steps you must complete to reach your goal of becoming a mammography technologist.

1. Get Certified in Radiography by the ARRT
2. Get Certified in Mammography by the ARRT
What are the ARRT mammography structured education requirements?
What are the ARRT mammography clinical requirements?
How do you log your mammography clinical hours?
What to expect from the ARRT mammography exam
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Prepare for Your Mammography Certification

Want more details about the Mammographer program?

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1. Get Certified in Radiography by the ARRT

(If you’re already a licensed radiologic technologist, skip to section 2.)

Before you can become nationally certified as a mammographer by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), you must already be registered and certified in radiography. To obtain this initial ARRT certification (via the primary eligibility pathway), you must meet the following requirements:

Education: Complete an ARRT-approved educational program that includes coursework on the discipline for which you’re seeking a credential, and earn an associate degree or higher.
Ethics: Demonstrate good moral character by complying with the ARRT Standards of Ethics.
Exam: Pass the ARRT exam in radiography, which measures the daily tasks you’ll perform as a radiologic technologist.

Here are a few details about the computer-based ARRT radiography exam, which are from the 2026 Primarily Eligibility Pathway Handbook:

Location: Pearson VUE testing center
Total test items: 230 (200 scored and 30 pilot, or unscored)
Test time: 230 minutes (3 hours and 50 minutes)
Total appointment time: 250 minutes (4 hours and 10 minutes) Learn about the exam content for the ARRT radiography exam content.

2. Get Certified in Mammography by the ARRT

Once you’re an ARRT-certified radiologic tech, you can then pursue your ARRT mammography credential. Before you can take the certification exam through the ARRT postprimary eligibility pathway for mammography, you must:

Maintain compliance with the ARRT Standards of Ethics
Meet structured education requirements
Meet clinical experience requirements

What are the ARRT mammography structured education requirements?

You must document at least 16 hours of structured education, with at least one continuing education (CE) credit in each of the following areas, according to the ARRT’s structured education requirements that went into effect on September 1, 2025.

Content Category	Minimum Credit Hours
Patient Care Patient Interaction and Management	1
Image Production Image Acquisition and Quality Assurance	1
Procedures Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology Mammographic Positioning and Procedures	1
Total	16

All structured education activity must be completed through an academic course from an acceptable accredited institution, or it must be approved by a continuing education (CE) approver or state entity. Additionally, your structured education credits must be completed within the 24 months preceding your postprimary exam application.

What are the ARRT mammography clinical requirements?

For your clinical experience requirements, you will need to perform a certain number of clinical procedures related to mammography, and then you must log those procedures and have them verified by a qualified professional, according to the ARRT’s guidelines.

Certification candidates must complete mammographic imaging (screening and/or diagnostic) on 75 patients, demonstrating specific tasks in the process, such as patient instructions, recording patient history and information, adjusting exposure factors, etc.

They must also participate in a certain number of quality control tests, and they must consult with a qualified interpreting physician at least once to review a minimum of 10 mammographic cases for breast anatomy, pathology, and image quality and establish corrective actions. Learn more about the breakdown of the mammography clinical requirements.

How do you log your mammography clinical hours?

Mammography certification candidates can only report up to 16 clinical experience entries per day, as this helps ensure hands-on practice over a longer span of time. All clinical experience entries must be logged within the 24 months preceding the date you submit your postprimary exam application. Additionally, candidates for certification must be MQSA-compliant (meaning they meet requirements set by the Mammography Quality Standards Act) before performing the required clinical procedures.

What to expect from the ARRT mammography exam

Here are a few things to know about the ARRT mammography certification exam:

Total test items: 145 (115 scored and 30 unscored)
Location: Pearson VUE testing center
Content areas: Patient Care (20 questions), Image Production (30 questions), and Procedures (65 questions)
Test time: 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes)
Total appointment time: 170 minutes (2 hours and 50 minutes)

You can view the mammography exam content outline or learn more about the test and its requirements by reading the 2026 Postprimary Eligibility Pathway Handbook.

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Prepare for Your Mammography Certification

If you’re already licensed and certified as a radiologic tech and you want to start working in mammography, you may want to consider a bachelor’s degree program. The right program can build on your previous education and help you prepare for ARRT mammography certification. Additionally, while an associate degree may be sufficient education for a mammographer in many states, a bachelor’s degree can help you stand out from other job candidates and allow you to deepen your specialized knowledge and training.

American Career College (ACC) has a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences (BSRS) program that is designed to give students the robust educational foundation they need to prepare for future careers as mammographers. The BSRS program at ACC has courses that satisfy the ARRT education requirements for graduates to take postprimary exams in mammography, among other radiologic technology specialty areas.

Additionally, students log a certain number of verified clinical procedures as part of the program, which can help fulfill clinical experience requirements prior to taking the ARRT mammography certification exam.

The BSRS program at ACC:

Is offered fully online (based out of ACC’s Ontario, CA campus)
Can be completed in less than 15 months (for licensed radiologic techs only)
Focuses on imaging principles, professional practice, leadership skills, and modality-specific instruction

Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences program at ACC. Or if you’re not yet licensed as a radiologic tech, you can explore ACC’s Radiography program (associate degree program) to help meet the requirements of your initial ARRT certification.